Close Enough
by hibiren
Summary: Alan wakes up in the Phantomhive manor. While recovering from the Thorns of Death he discovers Eric has vanished again, and is surprised to hold a calm conversation with Sebastian-whom Alan had attacked the day before. Even though at first Sebastian seems to have a greater interest than Alan's personal health in mind, as time passes, his attitude begins to change.
1. Chapter 1 - Suspicious

_(A/N: I had an idea the other day, one that I hadn't thought of before or previously read about. As I watched the 2013 rerun of the 2nd musical I thought during several scenes that Sebastian seems to have some sort of connection with Alan. So I began to wonder, in the time frame between after Shi no Toge and Sei to Shi no Sukima-could Alan and Sebastian had a conversation? This follows the original plot of the musical somewhat but due to my idea things don't exactly follow the plot. I hope as the story progresses it catches your interest!)_

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When Alan opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. A room, with beautiful paintings and furniture-which relieved him, knowing that he didn't wake up in the Dispatch Infirmary (as he'd been unfortunately accustomed to). Light entered the room through two large windows, opened just enough so the sounds of the morning birds could echo inside.

Alan tried to recall where he might know this place from. It felt familiar; the air tasted slightly of plums, and still, the lingering scent of something else. As he tried to sit up to get a better look at his surroundings, a voice stopped him.

"Mr. Humphries, you shouldn't move around so much after what happened yesterday."

The voice belonged to a man with black hair and startlingly red eyes, a man wearing a butler's uniform... the Earl Phantomhive's demon, Sebastian. The one that Grell so amorously referred to as "Sebastian-darling." Even if Sebastian was 'leashed' by the Earl, Alan couldn't help but feel distrusting of the demon. It was his job to tread lightly around demons and he would always take care to do so.

"Where is Eric?" Alan tried not to let his obvious worry shine through his voice. Since the Missing Souls case had been assigned to him, and even before that, Alan noticed that sometimes when he had an attack-no matter how bad it was-Eric would vanish for hours, sometimes days at a time, for reasons that changed every time Alan asked.

"Oh, Mr. Slingby? After you two came to the manor last night, he simply got up and left before I could so much as offer him tea. Rather rude, to leave so soon, don't you agree?" The tone of Sebastian's voice hinted at a deeper meaning but Alan pushed the thought away and leaned back against the plush pillows.

"Eric..."

"Now, now, Mr. Humphries, I'm sure he'll return soon. It would be _exceedingly_ rude on his part to leave you here on your own while you recover." Sebastian smiled, although this small gesture didn't have the sinister feel Alan had been expecting. "Would you like something to drink? Something to eat, perhaps?"

Before Alan could stop himself, he blurted, "Why are you being so kind to me...? Even after I attacked you yesterday?"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because as a Phantomhive butler I must show equal respect for any and all houseguests that the Young Master may welcome to the manor." After a brief pause, Sebastian continued. "Might I suggest some lavender tea?"

"Yes, please..." Alan wondered why Sebastian said nothing about Alan attacking him. He watched in silence as Sebastian walked about the room and tidied up anything that might have seemed remotely out of place. "I'm sorry for causing you inconvenience... I shouldn't have let my anger get to me like that." Even if the man before him was a demon, he still felt responsible for apologizing for his foolish actions-his apologies further fueled by receiving such surprising kindness. A kindness that Alan knew had a motive, but it was kindness nonetheless.

"No matter, what's done is done. I shall be back shortly with your tea." The man turned and exited the room, leaving Alan alone again.


	2. Chapter 2 - Secrecy

About ten minutes passed and Sebastian returned to Alan's bedroom carrying a tea tray in his gloved hands. Alan had begun to read a book he'd found on the bedside table to help pass time. While Sebastian set the tray down, Alan left his hand between the covers after he shut the book to keep his place.

"Your tea, Mr. Humphries. " Without any additional comments, the demon poured the steaming tea from the pot. He glanced at the cream and sugar but Alan simply shook his head and reached for the teacup.

"…Thank you…" The teacup warmed the smaller man's hands as he took a sip of the still-steaming tea. The soft taste of lavender and rose melted together, something that took Alan by surprise, but something he enjoyed. He did often drink tea, as it was a favorite drink of his, but also for its medicinal qualities-tea was healthiest consumed without added sugar.

Sebastian smiled again, the same strange smile. "Might I ask you something?"

"Of course." After drinking another sip of the tea, Alan had relaxed and continued to feel more at ease around the strangely fascinating butler.

Leaning down, Sebastian looked into Alan's eyes; he seemed to almost be searching his expression for something. "Pardon my prying question, but exactly how long have you had these 'Thorns of Death?' A certain Mr. Sutcliff seemed to know an awful lot about them. Then again, I'm sure he has his ways of gossiping about and getting information."

"I... um..." At hearing the words 'Thorns of Death' Alan's stomach began to churn but he shook his head and the feeling dissipated. "I've had it for about five months now. At first it was nothing, but, it seems to get worse as time goes on."

Sebastian nodded, not showing any other emotion but placidness. "I see. And how much does Mr. Slingby know about your condition?"

To hide his uncertainty, Alan took another sip of tea. After setting the cup down again, he answered with a small sigh, "I don't know. I've been trying to hide it from him as much as possible but, this time I couldn't keep the Thorns under control... I have a feeling Eric might be..."

The word 'gone' began to form on the reaper's lips but he couldn't force himself to say so. His mind and body were both in denial and it was too painful to think of much at once. Alan placed the cup on the bedside table, now uninterested in the tea. If Eric had left, perhaps angry at Alan for keeping something so important from him, there was no telling where he would go and how long he would be away. Eric had always been a mystery in that sense, something Alan thought about constantly. Any time Eric would get angry, he would leave for hours, sometimes days at a time and when he would return he would act as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, I hope he will be back to the manor in time to share a meal with us. The Young Master would like to talk to both of you over a rather important matter." Sebastian plucked the teacup from the table and placed it on his tray. "If he does return before the afternoon is over, please let him know of our meeting."

"I will..." Alan answered quietly as Sebastian gave a small bow and left the room.

"Eric, please don't be too angry with me," he added, speaking aloud to the cool air, "I'm sorry..."


	3. Chapter 3 - Searching

_(A/N: I've been getting college stuff settled but I had free time to get a chapter uploaded today! Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter!)_

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The ticking clock on the opposite wall was starting to bother Alan now—instead of being a pleasant reminder of daylight it became a menacing sort of countdown. Sebastian had been gone for about ten minutes, most likely to tend to the Earl Phantomhive, and Alan couldn't sit still any longer.

I'll just take a quick look around outside, he thought, maybe Eric would be there.

Wishful thinking.

The door gave a small creak when he opened it but he slipped out into the hallway undetected, as far as he could tell. Without Sebastian to guide him through the maze of hallways Alan found himself having to stop at every other window, to check and see how close he was to the main gardens. Each time he knew he was getting closer but the manor seemed to go on forever.

There were so many colorful flowers in that garden—pure white roses, amethyst-tinted sweet peas, and an array of poppies and peonies among many other flowers Alan had never seen before; the garden almost had a mystical aura surrounding it. Even the shrub maze, which was amazingly well-kept, had a magical feel. He found himself staring at the variety of colors before him and something caught his eye. A large tuft of wavy golden-blonde hair poking over the tall bushes of the maze, a brief flash of bright green eyes behind blue-tinted glasses.

Eric.

"Eric!" Alan called from the window happily, waving his arms to try and catch his partner's attention. "Eric, over here!"

But Eric couldn't hear him… instead, Eric's strong emerald gaze was fixed on something in the distance. Alan traced the path Eric was walking to find Sebastian at the other end.

He watched as Sebastian greeted Eric with a seemingly cheerful smile, but when Eric continued to approach him and he saw the deathscythe in Eric's hand, the smile vanished. Eric's usual demeanor had completely changed as well… his face looked firmer, steadfast, dedicated to something Alan couldn't quite determine.

The two began speaking to each other, Sebastian remaining calm, while Eric became angrier as the minutes passed to the point where his voice was just barely audible despite the distance.

"Tell me where Alan is! I need to talk to him. Now."

Sebastian replied, inaudibly, and Eric's face twisted into a smirk.

"He has nothing to do with this! Keep him out of your ridiculous accusations! Just tell me _where _he is!"

Accusations…?

Sebastian spoke again, nodded, and Eric stormed off toward the manor—leaving the butler behind with a strangely confident smirk.

Alan moved away from the window, trying to understand just what was going on. Sebastian was up to something after all, and Eric—Eric seemed to be the target of his actions. Why? Just what was going on?

The confusion Alan had been feeling suddenly transformed into panic when he realized that Eric was in danger. He couldn't let Sebastian harm Eric. There had to be some way to come to an understanding…

As Alan ran through the halls trying to find the nearest staircase a sudden pain struck his chest, knocking the wind out of him as he collapsed from the shock. He tried to stand but the Thorns wrapped tighter, tormenting him, leashing him as it gathered strength from his agony.

"Eric!" he called out with what little breath he could gather, "Eric…."

Footsteps rapidly approached him from behind and he forced himself into a half-sitting position so he could see who it was.

It was Eric.

"Alan! Alan, I've found you… listen, we have to get out of here. Now." The sense of urgency in his gaze almost hinted at dread.

"…Eric…"

Another swift flash of pain hit him and he collapsed again, this time Eric had been quick enough to catch him.

"I'm so sorry, Alan, I shouldn't have left you alone with that… _demon_…" Eric spat out the word like it was a piece of bad fruit. He shook his head and managed to smile as he rubbed Alan's back consolingly. "But it's alright now. Once we get out of here, everything will return to normal."

After Alan recovered and caught his breath, Eric helped him to his feet. "I'm taking you back to London Dispatch. You could use some rest in the infirmary… as long as we can get out of this place as soon as possible."

Alan nodded, thankful he was able to stand on his own now. "I missed you, Eric… I'm just glad you're here."

The two began to search for the front doors after descending a nearby staircase and ended up in the dining hall. Three of the Earl's servants were prancing around excitedly and shouting something about 'Sebastian's delicious cooking'.

"Not now," Eric muttered as a redhead with large, thick glasses approached him. "I'm sorry, lady, but we really have to go…"

"Right," Alan added, "We have to get back to work."

"Work?" The three looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"Well, the most important thing right now—" Eric began.

"—is for you to sit down, enjoy a meal with us, and simply have a discussion with the Young Master and I," Sebastian finished as he and the Earl entered the room. "We have a few questions regarding the work that both of us seem to be doing. Your 'Missing Souls' and the 'Mysterious Deaths of London Women'."

"How does he know about the Missing Souls case…?" Alan murmured under his breath.

Eric took a step back and pulled a chair away from the table, sitting casually. "Oh? Really."

Looking directly at Alan, the words seemed to leave Sebastian's lips like bombs dropping. "The culprit behind both of these cases is… Eric Slingby."


End file.
